RETRO: Your Sheffield memories in pictures

Another View Of Pond Street In The 1950's, Showing Evidence of the Building Work On The Banking To The Right.

Ron Clayton sent in a photo to tell readers about a memorial service for the victims of the Sheffield Flood of 1864.

He said: “Flowers will be laid at the Millsands Memorial to the victims of the flood on March 11 at noon. The Sheffield public are invited to place their own tributes at the same time.

From Vin Malone: The chap with the snow white hair is one of the nicest, honest men I've ever met, his name is Walt Drew and I worked under him for around two years at George Butlers on Sidney Street. I have wrote about him before but there wasn't a photo of him, even though it's a back view you can see the kindness emitting from him, he always had a cheery smile and his cheeks were always red, you'd swear he worked outside all his life.
He's working on a Double Header machine, which gives the first rough polish to knife blades prior to mirror finishing, when he past away he was missed by many people. Next to him is John Bland, a very outgoing lad, he worked under Walt's watchful eye up to Walt's retirement and he himself turned out to be a good worker. — From Vin Malone: The chap with the snow white hair is one of the nicest, honest men I've ever met, his name is Walt Drew and I worked under him for around two years at George Butlers on Sidney Street. I have wrote about him before but there wasn't a photo of him, even though it's a back view you can see the kindness emitting from him, he always had a cheery smile and his cheeks were always red, you'd swear he worked outside all his life. He's working on a Double Header machine, which gives the first rough polish to knife blades prior to mirror finishing, when he past away he was missed by many people. Next to him is John Bland, a very outgoing lad, he worked under Walt's watchful eye up to Walt's retirement and he himself turned out to be a good worker.

“Attached is an image of the original memorial to the victims at Malin Bridge – in St Polycarps Church – image courtesy of Rev Gina Kelsi.”

Regular contributor Vin Malone sent in one picture and spotted familiar faces on another. He wrote: “The chap with the snow white hair is one of the nicest, honest men I’ve ever met, his name is Walt Drew and I worked under him for around two years at George Butlers on Sidney Street.

“Even though it’s a back view you can see the kindness emitting from him, he always had a cheery smile and his cheeks were always red, you’d swear he worked outside all his life.

“He’s working on a Double Header machine, which gives the first rough polish to knife blades prior to mirror finishing.

“When he passed away he was missed by many people.

“Next to him is John Bland, a very outgoing lad, he worked under Walt’s watchful eye up to Walt’s retirement and turned out to be a good worker.”

The famiiar faces were on a Tuesday Retro picture. Vin wrote: “There’s a photo that has the caption ‘A view of Pond Street in the 1950s’.

“The chap smoking the pipe with the raincoat over his arm is Mr Charles Hall, he was the foreman painter for Reeves Charlesworth, a building firm that my father, brother and myself worked for.

The original memorial at Malin Bridge in St Polycarps Church to the victims of the Great Sheffield Flood.
Image courtesy of Rev Gina Kelsi. — The original memorial at Malin Bridge in St Polycarps Church to the victims of the Great Sheffield Flood. Image courtesy of Rev Gina Kelsi.

“Charlie Hall was known by his painters under him as Front Door Charlie as that’s all he ever painted. On the extreme right of the photo, there’s a man wearing a trench mac, unbuttoned as always. This man is my father Michael Malone.,

“Despite being a back view, I’d know him from any angle, his gait and the way he wore his cap at a jaunty angle. Looking at the photo it’s obvious my father and Charlie didn’t see each other.

“My father retired at the age of 65 due to ill health and when this overcame him Reeves Charlesworth paid for his entire funeral in gratitude of his long service and hard work for the company.”

Susan I Richardson wrote in to say: “Saturday’s Retro (Feb 24) and the lovely photo of the tea room at the Regent Cinema in Barker’s Pool took me on a trip down memory lane and brought back some very happy recollections of my childhood.

“Although I hadn’t as yet been born when this picture was taken in the 1930s it had changed very little during the following years (I was born in 1942) when as a little girl I used to visit it regularly during the late 1940s and 1950s for Saturday lunch with my late mother and father.

“At some point during this time the cinema was renamed The Gaumont and the restaurant looked much the same as in the photograph and had a wonderful atmosphere and friendly service.

“We alternated each Saturday between the restaurant at the S&E Co-op at The Arcade (now demolished) in Ecclesall Road, Hudson’s restaurant which was on Surrey Street and the restaurant at the Gaumont Cinema which was also demolished many years ago.

“The manageress at The Gaumont was a lovely lady called Miss Wells and you will probably find this hard to believe but when we visited the restaurant we usually took our Scots border collie sheepdog called Lassie.

“Miss Wells was an animal lover and welcomed us and our dog (who was very docile and well behaved) into the restaurant and when we had ordered our meal she always brought a plate of meat and gravy and a bowl of water for Lassie.

“This certainly wouldn’t have been allowed to happen in this day and age with all today’s health and safety regulations.”